Over the past three days, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for building a stronger People's Liberation Army (PLA), and ensuring the PLA's fighting power in the event of a war by creating a new commission to integrate the work of military and civilian experts.

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On Jan. 24, Xi urged a stronger PLA, which is the armed forces of the Communist Party of China, by further enhancing political awareness within the PLA; pushing forward reform and governing the PLA according to law.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, emphasized the importance of improving combat readiness through troop training.

He made the comments while visiting the 65th Group Army stationed in northern China's Hebei Province.

Two days earlier, Xi was made head of the newly formed Central Commission for Integrated Military and Civilian Development, a new organization experts say is vital for China's national defense.

The commission will decide and coordinate affairs on civil-military integration, which will be under the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

Civil-military integration is important in building China's national defense in peacetime, said Li Daguang, a professor at the National Defense University of the People's Liberation Army.

"Building national defense depends heavily on the masses. Public support is of great importance to our military."

Some local governments have promoted civil-military integration, but the new central commission will provide uniform orders, he said.

Xi has stressed the importance of the integration, describing the coordination between economic development and national defense as mutually beneficial.

The integration, which is key to realizing the goal of a strong PLA, accelerated in March 2014 when it was upgraded to a national strategy.

In May 2014, the first "military and civilian integration forum" issued a list of 200 military items, attracting more than 100 private companies.

Li said civil-military integration can be improved if the government involves Chinese companies in high-tech industries.

TagsXi Jinping, People's Liberation Army, Central Commission for Integrated Military and Civilian Development, china